The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has won the 2018 World Trade Promotion Organisations (WTPO) award in the category of the best initiative to ensure that trade are inclusive and sustainable at a ceremony in Paris, France.
The Executive Director of ITC Ms Arancha González stated that the participating Trade Promotion Organisations who responded to ITC’s invitation to compete for the awards went through a two-step rigorous assessment process, which was completely independent of ITC.
It is the first time NEPC receives a World Trade Promotion Organisations award.
NEPC works with partners across ministries, departments, agencies and private sectors to promote inclusive and sustainable non-oil export of Nigerian products.
The World Trade Promotion Organisations (WTPO) Award, open to all national Trade Promotion Organisations (TPOs), is designed to recognise and celebrate TPOs that excel in innovative and effective practices in export-development initiatives.
According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), the winning organisations have to show that they have helped micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) to become competitive in international markets.
The nominated countries in the ‘Best initiative to ensure that trade is inclusive and sustainable category’ were Mauritius, Mongolia, Nigeria and Peru. The World Trade Promotion Organisations Conference jointly hosted by the ITC and Business France is holding from 25 – 26 October 2018 and has over 80 Trade Promotion Organisations in attendance. This year’s theme is Trade and Investment Ecosystems Delivering for Growth.
Other WTPO 2018 Award winning countries are Ghana, for the Best use of Information Technology and Qatar Development Bank for the Best use of a Partnership. While Egypt, Mongolia, Switzerland and South Korea received Awards of Recognition.
NEPC Zero To Export Initiative
NEPC entered the competition with its Zero to Export initiative.
The Zero to Export initiative trains exporters on the export process, provides advice on products and markets, and enhances their marketing and management skills. The Zero to Export initiative, which trained 560 individuals and companieshas achieved remarkable results, which include €22 million in potential sales to the European market where Nigerian companies had not previously been successful. New products exported by SMEs with value of more that $30 million, 10 new partnership alliances by SMEs while partnerships with three financial institutions on the project raised $1.3 million of working capital for the exporters. New exports valued at $30 million per year, which included ginger, cashew kernels, cocoa products, hibiscus, sesame seeds, columbite for use in alloys, monalite for use in engineering and zircon were also developed.
Mr. Olusegun Awolowo the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC received the World Trade Promotion Organisations (WTPO) in the company of the Nigerian Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Dr. Modupe Irele and the Chief Executive of Business France, Mr. Christophe Lecourtier, thanked ITC for all the support to NEPC and all other TPOs and also commended the Netherlands CBI for its partnership on the Zero to Export initiative. He also expressed gratitude to the NEPC team for their contributions.
